Earlier this summer we got a Google Home and it quickly became one of the most useful things in my kitchen! I use it so often and since Millie has come along it’s like it has become an extra pair of hands around here. I often have a lot going on, and when you add the sleep deprivation, if I don’t have a timer set, you know I’m going to burn whatever it is I’m cooking. Even if I’m just warming up a cup of almond milk for my matcha. The Google Home has become useful in so many ways, and setting timers has saved me from burning many pots of quinoa. I use the timer option constantly throughout the day! All you have to say is “Ok Google, set a timer for 15 minutes.”

Hazel has become quite fond of the “googoo” as well. She is always asking for her favourite songs, and animal sounds! It’s great, when you don’t know what sound a giraffe makes, just ask the Google Assistant! We have the Hue lights hooked up in our kitchen as well and she loves changing the colours of them, just by saying “Hey Google, turn the kitchen lights purple,” it makes breakfast a lot more exciting, and hearing Hazel talk to it cracks me up every time.

We usually start our day by asking “Hey Google, what’s the weather like today?” so we can make our plans for the day. I try to get the girls outside once a day because we all go a little stir crazy when we’re cooped up for too long! As a working mom I often have a list of things to do once I have free hands or the girls are napping, so it’s become so handy when I remember something I need to do but my hands are full, I can just ask the Google Assistant to add it to my reminders, or groceries to my shopping list!

It has become a great source of entertainment in our home without having to turn on the screens. We also have the Google Home Mini setup in our living room and Hazel can dance her boredom away. I’ve definitely felt the mom guilt about how much screen time Hazel has been having since Millie came along, but it’s hard not to when you know it will keep just keep her occupied while tending to the needy newborn. I love that I can have her favourite songs playing without having to pick up my phone. She has a lot of fun asking for elephant and lion noises and then playing “Doe a Dear,” over and over and over again! I’ll post some videos on our Instagram stories today - it’s quite entertaining watching Hazel interact with the Google Home Mini. When she was at her grandparents last weekend she would randomly yell out “Ok Googoo, play Frozen on Spotify!” Which gave them a good chuckle because they don’t have one.

The Google Home Mini has been a major help these days, in the kitchen I use it often to ask “Hey Google, how do I roast a butternut squash?” I even used it to cook a whole lentil shepherd's pie the other night! So handy. I basically use my Google Home Mini for everything when it comes to cooking anyway, so it’s nice to have it answer my many questions.